Thrive hosts Changing the Game: A roadmap for digital tailored to Northern Ireland’s arts and culture organisations’ needs.

On Monday 22nd March 2021 Thrive Audience Development hosted a roundtable discussion considering a digital roadmap tailored to Northern Ireland’s arts and culture organisations’ needs. The webinar was hosted by Margaret Henry, Chief Executive of Thrive Audience Development and included speakers Prof. Paul Moore, Director of Future Screens NI; Peter O’Neill, Director of Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics and Maurane Ramon, Communications Executive at Thrive Audience Development.

 The press release states:

When lockdown hit at the end of March 2020, a lot of arts and culture organisations turned to digital so they could continue deliver creativity and offer some hope and respite. Some offered live or pre-recorded events filmed from their living room, others explored complete new ways to present their work. Is there an easy step-by-step process that arts, culture and heritage organisations could follow to kickstart their digital journey? 

Supported by the Future Screen NI’s Rewriting the Narrative project and in partnership with Accidental Theatre and Imagine Belfast, thrive undertook a consultation process to better understand their use and knowledge of digital. Based on the insight they discovered, thrive developed a 5-steps framework called ‘Changing the Game’ that NI organisations can use to assess and create their own digital offer. 

In this webinar, thrive and guests shares details about their research, what they found and the Changing the Game Framework. 

For more information on the participating projects please follow the links below.

imaginebelfast.com

wewillthrive.co.uk 

Future Screens NI appoint 20 Future Creatives

Future Screens NI have appointed 20 Future Creatives who will receive a £5,000 award which is accompanied by mentorship in order to advance their research and development programmes, advance their career ambitions, and to develop cutting edge technical innovations.  Successful creatives include PhD researchers and early career researchers in both industry and university settings including founders.  Successful awardees are engaged in research to advance immersive technologies, medtech, equality, diversity and inclusion, film, and business development.  

The Future Creatives scheme has been designed to enable participants to make a step change in their research and innovation by enhanced leadership and collaboration skills and developing new practices in the field of creativity and technology.  Each awardee has been matched with an industry or academic mentor working at the cutting edge of new, emerging and immersive technologies.

Future Screens NI Celebrates International Women’s Day with Antonia Forster

Future Screens NI and Reclaim the Agenda celebrated International Women’s Day with Antonia Forster with an insightful discussion on Closing the Gender Gap: Diversity and Inclusion in Tech

It is no secret that technology is having a diversity crisis. Despite initiatives to diversify, engineering & technology are still perceived as predominantly white, male, middle-class spaces. But this wasn't always the case - in 1943, computing was dominated by women, especially women of colour. What happened? Antonia Forster, XR Technical Specialist, presented a data-driven exploration of the gender gap:- how it affects your bottom line; how AI and machine-learning reinforce bias; and crucially, how we can employ evidence-based, highly effective strategies to combat it.

The event was attended by representatives from across the Creative Industries and Universities and has stimulated a movement of change.

Antonia is a keynote speaker and self-taught programmer, working in the field of AR, VR, and haptics. She travels worldwide, speaking on inclusion and diversity in the workforce. She is a passionate advocate for Women in STEM, a TEDx speaker and mentor, and has been shortlisted for Nature's John Maddox Prize for her work in LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Find out more about Antonia here:

https://antoniaforster.com/

This event was delivered in partnership with Reclaim the Agenda as part of the NI International Women's Day Programme. Find out more here:

https://www.reclaimtheagenda.com/iwd-2021

Celebrating International Women's Day Future Screens NI and Reclaim the Agenda present Antonia Forster for Future Tuesdays.It is no secret that technology is...

Future Screens NI Appoint 25 Mentors in Phase One of the Future Foundation

In response to the impact of the on-going pandemic Future Screens have appointed 25 mentors to provide mentoring support to individuals and groups within the creative industries who have faced significant challenges and which to consider ways in which to become more sustainable.  Appointed mentors have been drawn from across the full spectrum of the creative industries including the screen industry, new emerging and immersive technologies, education, business development, R&D led Festivals and large scale events. 

 The Future Foundation aims to help artists and creative freelancers to develop new approaches to working in the Creative Industries: this will include mentoring in career and practice development, practical skills and advice on personal planning, identifying and applying for funding, and the acquisition of new practical and technical skills for working in post-COVID-19 environments.

To find out more information please contact Aileen Carson at a.carson@qub.ac.uk

Future Tuesdays: MMD Dance Studio "Dancing Alone Together During Covid-19" 9 February 2021

Future Tuesdays hosted Claire McMahon Mooney of MMD Dance Studios and some of her feature dancers providing first-hand stories of developing an online and in-person, pandemic appropriate studio practice. The talk featured several recorded interviews with Claire and her students as well as a premiere of select students’ response to the Covid-19 experience.

Young people have faced challenging times during the on-going Covid-19 pandemic. Claire McMahon Mooney of MMD Dance Studios in partnership with world-renowned choreographer Ryan Jenkins and Future Screens NI has kept young people connected throughout the on-going crisis by offering graded dance lessons in zoom. Claire has pioneered a new form of dance education and creativity in zoom with everything from 4 year olds choreographing their own dance routines through to award winning contemporary performance. The video presents Claire and her MMD dancers’ experience during Covid-19. They discussed the value that dance and connectivity has brought to them. See first hand their interpretation of Covid-19 through dance.

https://www.facebook.com/mmdstudios/

Future Screens NI Presents MMD Dance Studio Dancing Alone Together During Covid-19Future Tuesdays hosted Claire McMahon Mooney of MMD Dance Studios and some ...